Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume VI.djvu/755

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ESTREMOZ Estrella and its S. "W. continuations. Its soil watered by numerous streams, the principal ? which are the Tagus and the Sadao. Grains, uits, and wines are produced. It has suf- jred from earthquakes, and has unexplored mines. II. An old province of Spain, in the "W. part of the peninsula, comprising the mod- ern provinces of Badajoz and Caceres, bound- ed N. by Salamanca, N. E. by Avila, E. by Toledo, Ciudad Real, and Cordova, S. by Se- ville and Huelva, and W. by Portugal; area, 16,693 sq. m. ; pop. in 186T, 733,749. It is entirely surrounded by mountains, and is divi- ded into three parts by the rivers Tagus and Guadiana, and into two parts by the mountains of Guadalupe, San Pedro, and San Mamed. These mountains, forming but a single chain, traverse the province from E. to W., and near- ly form the boundary between its two pres- ent divisions. The soil of Estremadura is very fertile, and if well cultivated would produce sufficient to support a third of the population of Spain ; but nearly all the large proprietors reserve their lands for pasturage. A little barley and wheat are cultivated, and chestnuts are abundant, forming the principal food of the inhabitants. This province is distant from the sea, and has no great highways. Even its rivers are little used for navigation. Its manu- factures are of no importance, and its mines of lead, silver, and coal are neglected. ? It was formerly a part of the kingdom of Leon, and was the last province conquered by Alfonso IX. of that kingdom ; whence the name of Es- tremadura, from Lat. extrema ora, last region. ESTREMOZ, a town of Portugal, in the prov- ince of Alemtejo, 22 m. W. of Elvas; pop. about 6,600. The fortifications, once strong, are fast decaying. Pottery and leather are, manufac- tured, ^and in the vicinity are marble quarries. ESZEK, or Esseg (Slav. Osjefy, a town and fortress of the Austro-Hungarian empire, capi- tal of Slavonia, in the county of Verocze, on the Drave, 13 m. from its confluence with the Danube, and 135 m. S. by W. of Pesth ; pop. in 1869, 17,247. Fairs for cattle, corn, and other produce are held here four times a year. Of late the population and industry of the town have rapidly increased, the Drave having been made available for steamboat navigation. The jrtress contains an arsenal and barracks for J0,000 men; during the revolutionary period )f 1848-' 9, it was occupied by the Hungarians mtil Feb. 14, 1849, when it surrendered to the Austrian Gen. Trebersberg. Not far from Eszek

and the famous bridges constructed by Soly-

lan II. in 1566, to facilitate the entrance of the Turkish armies into Hungary. The town was - colony of the Romans, who called it Mursa ; and it afterward became the residence of the toman governors of Lower Pannonia. ETAMPES (under the Franks, Stampce), a town France, in the department of Seine-et-Oise, 28 m. S. by W. of Paris; pop. in 1866, 8,228. It is on two small tributaries of the Juine, or Etampes, in a fertile valley, and is surrounded ETEOHEMINS 743 with shady promenades. It has a ruined tower called Guinette, the only remnant of the ancient castle built by King Robert in the llth century. There are several fine churches, a town hall and a castle which is said to have been given in apanage to the duchess d'Etampes and other royal favorites. There is also a statue to Geoffroy-Saint-Hilaire, the naturalist, who was born here. The chief manufactures are soap, leather, counterpanes, woollen yarn, and ho- siery. A considerable trade is carried on in wool, corn, honey, and flour, and there are more than 40 mills. ETAMPES, Anne de Plsselcn, duchess d', a mis- tress of Francis I. of France, born about 1508, died about 1576. Her father, Guillaume de Pisseleu, was a country gentleman of Picardy. Anne was a maid of honor of the queen regent, when in 1526 she attracted the attention of her son Francis I. She became his favorite mistress, displacing the countess de Chateaubriant ; he gave her for a nominal husband Jean de Brosse, afterward duke d'Etampes. The new duchess secured lucrative appointments for her relatives and friends, and wielded a paramount influence in the affairs of the nation. Upon the fine arts and in some other directions her influence was good, but the jealousy which sprung up between her and Diana of Poitiers, the mistress of the dauphin Henry, eventually became a source of calamity for her lover and for France. It was chiefly under the influence of this feeling that she betrayed to Charles Y. the movements of the French army; and the disadvantageous treaty of Crespy in 1544 was due to the intrigues of Anne and of Diana. Anne was present in 1538 at the interview between Francis I. and Charles V., and according to the chroniclers of the times the emperor was fascinated by her beauty. The death of Francis (1547) proved fatal to her power. Henry II. banished her from the court, and she ended her days on one of her estates. It is said that she devoted her- self to religion, and became a Protestant. ETAWAH, a town of British India, the capital of a district of the same name, on high ground about 1 m. from the left bank of the Jumna, 80 m. W. by N". of Cawnpore, and 60 m. S. E. of Agra ; pop. about 25,000. Ghauts, or flights of steps, some in ruins, others new and fre- quented by Hindoo devotees for religious ablu- tions, lead toward the river, across which is a ferry and at times a bridge of boats. A fort and a large jail are the principal buildings. The town was prosperous and important under the Mogul empire, but is now little more than a mass of ruins, and is generally described aa one of the least attractive stations in India. It has some commercial consequence from its posi- tion at the junction of the roads from Calpee and Cawnpore to Agra, and contains a few bungalows and other military buildings. ETECHEMINS, a tribe of Indians occupying the eastern part of the state of Maine, now represented by the Penobscots and Passama- quoddies. They lived chiefly in early times on